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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25923991">Tahiti</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beyond_today/pseuds/Beyond_today'>Beyond_today</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Snowpiercer (TV 2020)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>5+1 Things, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 04:09:18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,214</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25923991</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beyond_today/pseuds/Beyond_today</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Five times Melanie and Bennett wanted to run away together, and one time they actually did.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Melanie Cavill/Bennett Knox</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>42</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Ever since 1x06, I was stuck on the idea of Tahiti being an inside joke of sorts between Mel and Ben. This is my attempt at explaining where that came from exactly and how it may have evolved over time. </p><p>This is my first fic so it may be a bit one dimensional, but I hope you'll enjoy it anyway!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>One minute Melanie was dreaming and the next she found herself blinking into the darkness, slowly becoming aware of her surroundings. She was in her bunk in the Engine’s sleeping quarters, and the absence of a watch beeping told her that she still had time to roll over and go back to bed. She thought about what had woken her instead. She listened for any signs of disruption, but there was only the sound of Javier snoring faintly in the top bunk adjacent to her. She settled in again and attempted to get comfortable, willing the steady hum of Snowpiercer to lull her back to sleep. </p><p>After this seemed improbable, she cast aside her blankets and climbed out of bed carefully, treading lightly across the floor so as not to wake Javi. </p><p>She reached the door and placed a hand to the chip pad that would let her out, habit allowing her to find it easily in the dark. The door slid open with a soft hiss and she padded out into the hallway. As she approached the main Engine room, she squinted at the array of bright monitors and blinking lights that greeted her, letting her eyes adjust. Among them, she could see Bennett at the helm, swiveling in his chair idly, chin propped up on one hand. Even from this distance she could tell his gaze was fixed on nothing in particular, staring off into the cold expanse of ice and sky ahead of them as they hurtled forward. </p><p>Looking but not really seeing. </p><p>Melanie couldn’t blame him-- she had been there many times herself. Even after seven years, a night shift alone with nothing but the cold to keep you company had the potential to make even the most stoic person pensive. And the current unrest on the train had them all contemplating their predicament more so than usual.</p><p>“Well I see someone’s hard at work” she said by way of greeting, strolling up to lean against the plexiglass partition that they used as a makeshift whiteboard. </p><p>He turned at the sound of her voice and straightened in his chair to look up at her.</p><p>She saw the moment when his eyes swam into focus on her face, and a look of concern appeared along with a small frown between his eyebrows.</p><p>“Mel,” he said, an unspoken question in his voice. He glanced at the watch on his left wrist. </p><p>She knew what he was thinking. This wasn’t the first time Melanie had awoken prematurely during the precious few hours allotted to her between shifts, and it wouldn’t be the last. Sleep was a commodity on Snowpiercer that often eluded her.</p><p>“I know, I’m fine. I just couldn’t sleep, that’s all,” she shrugged. “Thought you wouldn’t mind the company.”</p><p>Despite her words, he still searched her face for any signs of distress. </p><p>When he was satisfied that there was no cause for concern, the frown disappeared just as quickly as it came. </p><p>“With you?” He cocked his head at that. “Never.” </p><p>He reached out for her hand and placed a quick kiss to the back of it before releasing, an easy gesture that made Melanie’s heart flutter. </p><p>The smile Ben gave her brightened his whole face, as if Melanie’s presence, although unexpected, was wholeheartedly welcomed. If Melanie had thought she was intruding earlier, that smile proved otherwise. </p><p>“I’m good to take the rest of your shift if you want to get some rest, though” she offered despite knowing it was useless. </p><p>“Nah, Mel. I’m good here.” </p><p>He lounged back in his chair and folded his arms behind his head with exaggerated importance. </p><p>“Besides--lots of exciting things were happening before you came in, you know.”<br/>
He gestured loosely at the monitors surrounding them, all of which indicated that everything was running smoothly. </p><p>Melanie laughed and made her way over to the chair opposite him and sat down, pulling her legs up onto the seat and wrapping her arms around her knees. </p><p>“No news is good news, Ben,” she reminded him with a pointed look as she settled in. He nodded sagely, but something in his eyes told Melanie that she had unintentionally struck a chord somewhere. </p><p>They gazed at each other for a comfortable moment. And then-- “What were you thinking of just now, before I came in?”</p><p>She watched his face as she said it, but he gave no indication that he was affronted by the question. They knew each other better than that by now; they had spent years sharing a mission, a workspace, and more recently, a bed. Their unique position on Snowpiercer called for a default level of trust that was magnified by their affection for one another.</p><p>Because of this, Bennett was usually an open book, but he also knew that Melanie would never press him if he wasn’t ready to talk about something. With the small amount of space that the engineers had to work with, it was impossible not to become close with her colleagues over the years. The lack of physical privacy sometimes meant finding excuses to give them space when she suspected they needed it. </p><p>But something told her that she and Bennett would have found themselves drawn together even if space was no issue for Snowpiercer.</p><p>They depended on one another every second, every mile of track that they put behind them, and in some ways they were all each other had that was open and honest at the end of the day. He knew her better than anyone else on this train, which was to say that he was the only one who really knew her at all. Ben had worked with her even before Departure, and had been on the team that helped design and construct Snowpiercer from concept to reality. He knew her history with Wilford and knew the terrible responsibility that fell upon her when she took over. The things she had done and the face she was forced to wear in order to do them. And yet here they were, almost seven years later. Ben had been her rock, and she tried her best to be as good to him as he was to her. </p><p>Finally Ben answered her with a halfhearted shrug. “Just the usual stuff, I suppose. Everything we left behind, you know. And what’s ahead of us. All the little things we used to take for granted...”</p><p>He trailed off, but Melanie stayed quiet, waiting for him to finish. She watched as he looked down at his hands in his lap, his dark hair falling into his eyes a bit as his head bowed. </p><p>He started again. “When we were kids, you know, my parents-- they would sometimes send my brother and I off to go stay with our aunt for a couple weeks, when school was out. She had this shabby little beach house, right there on the water. You could hear the waves crashing against the shore at night.” He looked out toward the frozen terrain again, lost in thought.</p><p>Melanie could clearly picture it in her mind, could almost smell the salty breeze, and the thought of a young Ben skipping rocks into the ocean made her heart twinge with fondness. </p><p>“Mm. That sounds nice.” </p><p>“We hated it,” Ben said ruefully, looking back at her. “We used to think it was so boring, can you believe that? We missed our friends, and our video games--and our aunt was a terrible cook besides.” </p><p>He laughed, wistfully, and scrubbed a hand down his face. After a moment he continued, his tone more serious. </p><p>“We thought of it as punishment back then, you know, but I would give anything now to have that back. My family, of course. And the ocean. All of that. But also...just...that feeling. Of not having any weight on our shoulders. Back when small problems seemed big only because we didn’t have anything to compare them to.” </p><p>It wasn’t anything either of them hadn’t already said in a hundred different variations before, on nights just like this one, voicing silly wishes that they knew were unlikely to come true, but helped to say them anyway. Their eyes met, full of mutual understanding and a pain that had dulled over time but was still throbbing nonetheless.</p><p>Suddenly Bennett got up from his chair and crossed the distance between them, reaching out and grabbing both of Melanie’s hands in his. He pulled her to her feet gently and they stood like that, face to face, hands linked between their bodies. The look in Ben’s eyes was suddenly intense, as if he were willing Melanie to understand. </p><p>“What we’re doing here, Mel, it’s important, I know that. And I’m glad to be doing it with you, all these years, for however many we have left. But at the same time, I can’t help but wish it wasn’t us that had to do it. You of all people can understand that, I hope.”</p><p>Melanie looked down at their joined hands and nodded in agreement. “So what are you saying, Ben?” she asked. Not accusatory. Just prompting him. </p><p>He exhaled. “I’m saying I wish we were somewhere else--anywhere else--and that some other sad sacks had the misfortune of trying to keep humanity alive.” His smile returned, as if just saying it out loud had helped him considerably. </p><p>He brought a hand up to cup Melanie's cheek and she leaned into it easily, happy that he was feeling more like himself. </p><p>A wry smile curled at Bennett’s lips. He looked over his shoulder jokingly, as if to check that they were still alone. </p><p>“So listen...Don’t tell Javi this, but--" He pulled Melanie in closer to him. </p><p>"--I would love nothing more than to ditch this place and be bored on some beach with you, Mel. If the opportunity ever presented itself.”</p><p>Melanie laughed and slid her hand up Ben’s chest to curl around the nape of his neck. She pretended to weigh her options. “I won’t make any promises. But I'll consider it.”</p><p>He hummed. "Well, that I can work with.” Ben brought his free hand up to frame Melanie’s face as he pulled her in for a lingering kiss, the both of them smiling into it.</p><p>As if on cue, the alarm on Melanie’s wristwatch started beeping faintly, signalling that she needed to start getting ready for the busy day ahead of her. </p><p>They both ignored it.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Melanie was rubbing her temples, mentally preparing herself for the next inevitable problem that was bound to require her attention, when sure enough, the phone at her desk began to ring. Cursing under her breath, she picked up the line after a second of hesitation, praying to whatever entities remained that it wasn’t Ruth calling again with another complaint from the Folgers. </p><p>“Hospitality, this is Melanie,” she answered. </p><p>“Mel, it’s me.” The voice on the other end managed to both comfort and concern her at the same time. A call from the Engine usually meant trouble, but not always. </p><p>“Ben,” she breathed. “What’s wrong?”</p><p>“What? Nothing’s wrong. Well, besides the usual,” he amended, and there was no argument there.</p><p>“I just wanted to see when you think you’ll be done for the day.” Melanie could hear the sound of a chair creaking through the phone, and she relaxed a little. </p><p>“I think we should get dinner, make a night of it. Sushi actually,  if you’re up for it.”</p><p>“Sushi?” Melanie repeated, confused at this unexpected turn of events</p><p>“Yeah, Jinju said the bar’s all ours if we want it tonight. Apparently the Wilsons cancelled their reservation at the last minute.” </p><p>“And Javi?”</p><p>“Javi?” A pause. “I mean, I like the guy just fine, but a romantic dinner invitation might send him the wrong signal, don't you think?”</p><p>Through the line Melanie heard a soft thwump! and a muffled “Hey!” from Bennett, an exclamation that clearly wasn’t directed at her. She pieced together that Javier had thrown something at him. Good, she thought, then passed a hand over her face. She often wondered what sort of mischief those two got themselves into while she was away so regularly. She also figured it was better that she didn’t know.</p><p>Melanie rubbed her temples, tired from a long day of placating First. She listened to the scuffle on the other end for another three seconds before losing her patience. </p><p>“Ben. Ben! I meant, did you clear this with him? His shift-- ” </p><p>“Don’t worry about him, he can manage it,” Bennett assured her, though Melanie could clearly picture in her mind the look that Javier was probably shooting him at that very moment. </p><p>“I don’t know....” Melanie looked at the stack of papers on her desk, a bundle of passenger complaints and tasks that all needed to be prepped for this week’s schedule. She wanted nothing more than to join Bennett for dinner and forget about everything that needed her attention. If she gave in to this temptation every time, though, she would never get anything done. </p><p>“C’mon, Mel” was all he said. They had had dozens of conversations just like this one, each time Ben trying and usually failing to convince Melanie to make time for herself. This time it went without saying. </p><p>She was about to reply when Ruth rapped her knuckles on the door.  Melanie turned to wave her inside wordlessly, holding a finger up to let her know she’d be with her shortly. Ruth entered and stood against the far wall, clipboard in hand, and waited patiently for Melanie to finish her call. </p><p>When Melanie spoke into the phone again, she assumed a more formal tone of voice. </p><p>“ It may have to wait, but I assure you I’m doing the best I can.” </p><p>The promise was weak, and Ben knew it too. </p><p>“Don’t sweat it, Mel,” he just said softly.  “Just take care of yourself, yeah?”</p><p>His tone was understanding and genuine, but Melanie knew he was disappointed and it made her heart sink nonetheless. </p><p>“I understand. Thank you,” was all she said. A beat passed, and she heard the line click on the other end. </p><p>She hung up the phone and schooled her features before turning back to Ruth. </p><p>“Well now, what was all that about then?” Ruth inquired. Fishing for gossip. </p><p>“Maintenance request,” Melanie lied easily, and held out her hand to take the clipboard. </p><p> </p><p>                                                                                                           ***</p><p>“Battery banks are looking good. We should be able to maintain speed for now.”</p><p>“Okay, let’s go ahead then,” Ben called to Javier over his shoulder. He scanned the computer screens in front of him, gauging the terrain using the satellite images. “We could pick up some extra power if we ease the brakes on the descent,” he concluded. </p><p>He heard Javier hum in agreement, and that was that. </p><p>After inputting a few commands into the computer, Bennett pulled out a notebook and started toying with the equation he had been working on earlier. Jinju had come to him for help with a non-emergency maintenance issue, and he had spent a good part of his day in AGSEC as a result.</p><p>He had been cataloging the damage and making a mental list of the parts he would need for the job- a task that filled him with more and more dread as time went on and their supplies dwindled-when Jinju had complained to him about the last minute cancellation at the sushi bar. A reservation on Snowpiercer was no small thing, especially when Jinju had already taken great care to harvest the ingredients for the meal. She was in the middle of telling Bennett exactly what she thought about the Wilsons for cancelling, when he had an idea. He had made the necessary arrangements with her, finished up his list, and headed back to the Engine. </p><p>Now Bennett sat at the helm, still half-heartedly scribbling away on his equations, thinking that he might actually have to have dinner with Javi, after all. </p><p>Of course he wasn’t upset with Melanie, but ever since their phone call Bennett’s mood had sharply deflated. If Melanie had important work to do, he would let her do it. He was one of the few people who actually knew just how hard she worked, and knew first hand that she was incredible at her job. But that also meant knowing just how much it cost her, and he couldn’t help but worry about her, as he often did. It didn’t help that Melanie had been more and more distant lately, caught up in the demands of her unique position. </p><p>Beyond that, Bennet knew that there was an even simpler explanation to his mood shift after speaking with Melanie. He missed her, he realized. It was a feeling that had been nagging at him all day like a loose tooth, and now that the dull ache was brought to his attention, it seemed to do nothing else but throb painfully. </p><p>It seemed counter-intuitive that you could miss anyone in such close quarters, but Snowpiercer was weird in that respect. On the contrary, all it did was make absences more pronounced.</p><p>Bennett shook his head a little, willing himself to focus on his work, when a soft but sudden thud emitted from the helm’s pneumatic tube system. He exchanged a look with Javier, who frowned in confusion as he pulled off his headphones, settling them around his neck as he got up to retrieve the canister. </p><p>Bennett got up from his chair too and met Javier halfway as he turned around, holding the capsule out for him to take, a slight look of apprehension on his face. There was always a good chance that the message would bring bad news. </p><p>Bennett opened the capsule and unfolded the paper inside to reveal its contents, eyes scanning the handwriting that was so familiar to him. It was only a short message, but its effect was instantaneous and inexplicable, like magic. A huge grin broke out across Bennett’s face, and it didn’t take long for Javier to guess at the subject of the note. </p><p>“She changed her mind, didn’t she?” </p><p>Bennett just laughed out loud and passed the empty tube back to Javier. He clapped him once on the shoulder before he turned to leave, too elated to be embarrassed about how moody he had been just moments before. </p><p> “I’ll bring you some yellowtail for your troubles,” Bennett assured him.  </p><p>Javier, who he knew had a strong dislike of sushi, did not find this as amusing as Bennett did. </p><p>“Yeah, yeah,” he said sarcastically. “Just no funny business, okay Ben? A couple hours, tops. I’m serious!” </p><p>Laughing again, Bennett just called “You have the train, Javi!” over his shoulder as he used his palm to chip out of the Engine room. He strode out into the hall, ignoring the sound of Javier muttering to himself, and looked down again at the note he still held in his hand. </p><p>Pick you up in an hour.<br/>
Wear that sweater I like.<br/>
-Mel</p><p>			                                                                               ***</p><p>Melanie stood in the hallway in front of Bennett’s room in Second. She tried to push the thought of all the work she had left behind, and after taking a moment to compose herself, she knocked twice on the door. This, of course, was mostly a courtesy; her chip gave her access to every door on Snowpiercer, and Bennett had assured her multiple times that she was always welcome. But tonight Melanie wanted to make an entrance, and when the door slid open in front of her, she wasn’t disappointed. </p><p>Bennett stood a couple feet in front of her, looking handsome as ever in his charcoal gray sweater, and the delight on his face at seeing her was so open and honest that she felt her stomach flutter under his gaze. </p><p>“Hey,” Melanie greeted him. </p><p>“Hey yourself,” Bennett said in return, reaching for both her hands to bring her in closer to him. </p><p>He brushed a strand of hair behind Melanie’s ear and pulled her into a gentle, sweet kiss. His mouth was warm and Melanie melted into it, arms coming up to loop around his neck. When they broke apart, Bennett stepped back from Melanie just slightly, holding her out at arm's length to take in the sight of her and the dress that she wore. It was just a basic little number that came to rest above her knees, but his eyes still seemed to burn her skin as they raked over her body. </p><p>Satisfied with his inspection, Bennett shrugged suddenly, a playful smirk on his face. </p><p>“You clean up pretty well, I guess.”</p><p>“You guess?!” Melanie pushed him slightly, feigning outrage, and they both laughed. </p><p>“Jerk. Come on, let’s go, I’m starving.” </p><p>She held out her hand to him and he took it gratefully. </p><p>                                                                                                           ***</p><p>They sat close together at the table as they finished the last of their meal, talking about the day’s events and making general conversation, enjoying each other’s company. Jinju had certainly outdone herself tonight- the sushi was delicious and the sake was just what Melanie needed after a long day of stewarding ungrateful passengers. She was feeling light and relaxed, Bennett’s hand resting comfortably on her knee, chuckling his way through a story about something Javier had done earlier.</p><p>“Speaking of Javi,” Melanie started when he was finished. “What time did you promise him we’d be back?”</p><p>“Well, technically, I didn’t.”</p><p>Melanie gave him a pointed look. </p><p>“Okay fine, he said only a few hours, but I’m sure he’s fine without us, Mel.” He laughed a little and added,“Hell, I bet he’s secretly happy to have some alone time, anyway.”</p><p>“We both know that isn’t fair to him. And we have a responsibility to Snowpiercer,” Melanie reminded him, but it wasn’t necessary. She knew he didn’t really mean it. </p><p>Sure enough, Bennett sighed in defeat. “I know,” he admitted. “But do we have to talk about it? I was hoping tonight we could just pretend that things were normal. ”</p><p>“No, we don’t have to talk about it” Melanie said gently, before perking up again.  “What would you like to talk about instead?” </p><p>Bennett’s smile returned. “Well for starters, I think that was some of the best sushi I’ve ever had. Either that or having you as company just made it seem that way.”</p><p>Melanie nodded her head seriously despite the joke; she’d have to thank Jinju later for making tonight possible. </p><p>“It was good,” she agreed. “I can’t imagine it getting any better than that, in Japan even. Did you ever get a chance to visit?” </p><p>“No,” he answered softly, and there was a look in his eyes that had Melanie’s heart aching. “But I always wanted to.” </p><p>“Well,” she said, “Then we’ll just have to go one day, won’t we?”  Like there was nothing else to it. </p><p>Bennett’s eyebrows shot up at that, looking skeptical, but he played along anyway. He lifted the hand that had been on Melanie’s knee and reached out to gently take her own hand in his. Melanie watched as Bennett slowly brought her hand up to his lips and placed a soft kiss there, a gesture that never failed to make her breath catch. </p><p> “With you?” he asked. “I’d go anywhere.” And she knew that he meant it.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When they first started this, it was a mutual seeking of pleasure from each other’s bodies, hot and urgent, as if they needed each other to breathe. Bennett had stumbled upon Melanie crying, the first real breakdown she had been unable to conceal since departure- and he had comforted her without even having to think about it. The feel of his arms around her and his soft, reassuring voice as he calmed her down was enough to spark...<i>something</i>. She had kissed him, desperate, her face a mess, and he had kissed her back just as fiercely. </p><p>Ben had stopped things that night before they crossed a line, insisting that neither of them were thinking clearly, but Melanie knew now that being with him only ever cleared her mind. It was only a short while after that incident that they found themselves drawn together again, unable to shake the electricity that hung between them. </p><p>It was good then, but it was even better now. Now Melanie knew Bennett’s body-every freckle, every curve, dip, and smooth plane of his skin- and the familiar weight of him, a solid presence at her side. His steady heartbeat, as constant as the thrum of Snowpiercer, was thudding just beneath her ear, and it seemed to ground her better than anything else could ever hope to. </p><p>Lost in thought, Melanie watched Bennett sleep until he began to stir beneath her. </p><p>“Hey,” she greeted him when he was awake enough to understand her. </p><p>“Hey” he said, blinking, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. </p><p>Bennett’s voice came out rough and gravelly with sleep, reminding Melanie of the things he had cried out the night before, in the last moments. A slow spread of heat washed over her cheeks as unbidden, flashes of last night replayed in her mind: Ben’s hands in her hair and on her hips, insistent, his lips hot on her neck, every touch setting her on fire. She cleared her throat. </p><p>“We should probably start getting ready,” she announced.</p><p>“Yeah” he agreed.  </p><p>But neither of them made any attempt to get up. Instead, Melanie buried her head a little bit deeper into the crook of his shoulder and sighed, content, as Bennett traced light patterns onto her back. They lay there comfortably for a while until Melanie broke the silence with a question she had been thinking of earlier. </p><p>“Hey, Ben?”</p><p>“Hm?”</p><p>“If the freeze never happened, and if Snowpiercer was nothing more than a luxury liner….Do you think we still would have ended up like this?”</p><p>The question felt more vulnerable after it had already left Melanie’s mouth to hang in the air, but by then it was too late. It wasn’t helped by the fact that the finger Bennett had been trailing down her spine stopped in its tracks as she said it. Melanie held her breath and waited. </p><p>She wasn’t anxious that Bennett would say no, exactly-  it was a hypothetical “what if” scenario of no real consequence, after all, and they were both pragmatic individuals. But the question itself was admittedly presumptuous, and she found herself teetering on the edge of unfamiliar territory, never having talked about their relationship in such an official manner before. </p><p>Melanie peered up through her eyelashes at Bennett to assess his reaction, more afraid than she would like to admit that she would find a flicker of rejection there. What she found instead was merely a quizzical look, which she told herself was better, normal even, for Ben. She could live with quizzical. </p><p>After what seemed like ages, Bennett finally responded. </p><p>“If you mean <i>us</i> specifically…” he craned his neck a little to get a better look at her. </p><p>When Melanie made no attempt to correct him, he continued, albeit with a small frown drawing his eyebrows together. </p><p>“Well there’s no telling for sure, of course. But I like to think so.” He trailed off to consider it, wanting to give her a real answer. </p><p>Melanie knew he wasn’t the type to quiet her with platitudes, but it was still endearing to know that Bennett took her question seriously, despite how easy it would have been to dismiss. </p><p>Looking up at the ceiling now, Bennett’s hands resumed their absentminded path across her skin and Melanie relaxed again. </p><p>“Well, I can only speak for myself, but... I would have hoped for it. Knowing you in any capacity- end of the world or not- I would be….Well, that’s just not something I would have taken for granted.” </p><p>Melanie propped herself up so that she could look at him. </p><p>“How do you know, though?” she asked. “Haven’t we all been shaped in some way by everything that’s happened to us? I feel like I barely even remember the person I was before all this.” </p><p>Bennett chuckled, and had it been anyone else this might have unsettled Melanie. </p><p>“That’s all of life, Melanie,” he reminded her.<br/>
“<i>And I do remember</i>. I remember when we first met. You can imagine my shock at the most intelligent, confident, beautiful woman I had ever seen walk into that boardroom and introduce herself as my superior. Before the meeting was even over I knew that there was no better person for the job. So when the Freeze happened and we had to change our course…yeah, things were crazy, Mel. But we all had faith in you, because your heart was in it. That’s not too far from the Melanie I know now. And that’s how I know I would have fallen for you either way.” </p><p>Melanie had listened to this explanation with her heart pounding in her chest and tears welling in her eyes that threatened to spill over, and yet Bennett acted like it was the easiest thing in the world for him to say. He looked at her now with his warm eyes and his simple smile, and Melanie had to make a conscious effort to clear the lump that had formed in her throat. </p><p>“I’m glad,” she told him when she could finally speak. “Because I really don’t know what I would do without you, Ben.” </p><p>She leaned down to kiss him then and he met her halfway, hand coming up to cradle her face. When they parted, he ran his thumb across her cheek to wipe away the wetness there, then tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. </p><p>“Hey, come on, what’s with all of this talk, anyway? Are you trying to get rid of me or something?”  </p><p>It caused an involuntary laugh to bubble up from Melanie’s throat. <i>He was always so good at that</i>, she thought, and then mustered up her mock stern voice. </p><p> “You know I have other means of accomplishing that if I wanted to,” she said. </p><p>“Yeah?” He raised his eyebrows. “ By that I hope you mean transferring me to a top secret, secondary train you haven’t told me about. You know, like one with parts that fix themselves, and better water pressure.” </p><p>Melanie snorted.  “Like I’d send you there before I sent myself.”</p><p>Bennett hummed and ran his hands down the length of her sides. Without warning, he gripped her waist and rolled so that he was on top of her, his weight supported by his arms on either side of her. </p><p>“Well <i>maybe</i> if we’re bad enough--” He kissed her neck, twice, three times, causing Melanie’s breath to hitch. “--We’ll both end up there together.” </p><p> Melanie shuddered. “I don't know... I heard they only take the worst offenders." </p><p>She could feel Bennett chuckle against her sensitive skin of her neck and then he was there, in front of her, lips begging to be kissed. But before Melanie could kiss him, let alone answer, a wolfish grin lit up his face and he pushed off from the bed to snake down her body.<br/>
“Well then we'll just have to get creative, won't we?” was the last thing Melanie heard him say before they abandoned the conversation altogether.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks for reading! More chapters to come, though I'm not sure when!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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